Department of Interior milestone shows public lands are not just for oil and gas anymore

Oct 9, 2012

Washington D.C.

The Department of the Interior (DOI) announced today that it has permitted over 10,000 megawatts (MW) of renewable energy projects, demonstrating how far it has come in a short time to balance clean energy development with oil and gas on public lands

The agency reached the 10,000 MW mark three years ahead of the 2015 deadline set by congress in the Energy Policy Act of 2005.

The following statement can be attributed to Chase Huntley, renewable energy policy director:

“DOI and the Bureau of Land Management have made significant strides to establish blueprints and guidance for environmentally responsible renewable energy development on our public lands. The large size and impacts of these projects require careful siting and construction, and the future success of programs for clean energy on our public lands will depend on building on lessons learned to-date to continue to improve protections for wildlands and wildlife habitat.

Wind, solar and geothermal projects can play an important part in cleaning up our energy mix and tackling climate change if they avoid sensitive wildlife and wildlands and fully offset impacts. We look forward to continuing to work with DOI and the BLM to achieve these goals.”

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At a Glance

Some key take-aways from this article include:

The large size and impacts of these projects require careful siting and construction, and the future success of programs for clean energy on our public lands will depend on building on lessons learned to-date to continue to improve protections for wildlands and wildlife habitat.